Radiologic consultation: effect on inpatient diagnostic imaging evaluation in a teaching hospital.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluated radiologic consultation affecting resident physician ordering of relatively expensive imaging studies.

METHODS: Requisitions (n = 180) for expensive imaging studies from three general medicine floors (two consultation floors, one control floor) were prospectively evaluated. Information on the requisitions was classified as appropriate, inappropriate, or undecided if insufficient information was provided. On the consultation floors, but not the control floor, the medical residents were contacted about all studies initially considered inappropriate or undecided before they were performed.

RESULTS: Nine of 119 requisitions (7.6%) from the consultation floors were considered inappropriate. In three studies (2.5%) the imaging evaluation was modified as the result of the interaction with the radiologist. There was no significant difference in the total number of radiologic studies or percentage of the total that were expensive imaging studies when comparing the consultation floors with the control floor.

CONCLUSION: Radiologic consultation on expensive imaging studies through routine review of requisitions did not significantly change their use by house staff.